John Maxwell: Tributes to Top Motivational Speakers
John Maxwell is a church pastor, motivational speaker and author, whose books mainly focus on leadership. He has attained international recognition as a leadership expert who advises government and corporate leaders, as well as various organizations. His operating principle is that ‘everything rises and falls on leadership’, thus emphasizing the importance of leadership in all segments of the society. Further, he believes that you can only lead others as long as you can lead yourself. This means that leadership is a process that begins from the inside, rather than on the outside of you. In view of this, leadership cannot be assigned or awarded; it can only be earned with time.
John Maxwell was born in 1947 in Garden City, Michigan. His parents were devout Christians, whereby his father was a church minister at a local church. He followed his father’s footsteps to become a church minister; hence his studies were inclined towards a life in ministry. At Ohio Christian University, he completed a bachelor’s degree, and then proceeded to attain a master’s degree in divinity. He also holds a doctorate in theology from the Fuller Theological Seminary. After leading various churches in Florida, California, Indiana and Ohio, he left active church leadership in 1995 to devote his time to full-time writing and speaking. Currently, both he and his wife live in Florida, where he holds the position of a teaching pastor at the Christ Fellowship Ministry.
John Maxwell has authored more than fifty books, which have sold millions of copies over the years. Most of his books are best sellers and have been translated into various languages. Some of his most famous books are; Thinking for a Change, Leadership 101 and The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. He has also founded leadership development organizations, which have trained over two million international leaders. He is a dynamic speaker who enjoys a wide following among influential leaders all over the world. John Maxwell’s speaking style can be described as electrifying. You can hardly sit still as you listen to him talk about leadership, attitude, relationships, and success. As you listen to him, you feel as though you can do anything you set your mind to do, as long as you can manage your life. Perhaps this is because he shares his own personal life experiences, showing you how he learned some of life’s lessons from his own mistakes. It makes you feel empowered to go out there and do what you have to do fearlessly; after all, if he could it, so can you.
Maxwell’s books and speeches focus on leadership, as mentioned. In view of this, his influence in the world of motivational speaking revolves around leadership principles. He has influenced world leaders with his principles, thus helping to transform organizational leadership across the world. Indeed, most fortune 500 companies have integrated his leadership principles into their management philosophies. His organizations have also produced like-minded motivational speakers from all over the world. Such speakers have replicated his principles in their respective countries, thus his influence continues to spread.
